Vol. 407 No. 8
5 Mr. S. Barrett asked the Minister for Justice if he will outline the review carried out by the Garda Commissioner in relation to the Garda responses to burglar alarms; and if he intends introducing a system of licensing for alarm companies in order to guarantee high standards of installation and a reduction in the number of faults or accidental calls resulting in the waste of Garda time and resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The problem of false alarm calls to the gardaí in the Dublin metropolitan area has reached worrying proportions. The alarms in question are those which are relayed to the gardaí either directly through the 999 system or else through monitoring centres provided by security firms. Though intended as a useful instrument of crime prevention these alarms, because of the high level of false calls which they generate, are now, by and large, operating in a way which hampers effective crime prevention. Responding to false or accidental alarms results in a costly waste of Garda resources and means that these resources are not available to respond to genuine alarm calls and other emergencies.
The commissioner has carried out a detailed review of the problem and has looked at how it is dealt with in other countries. I have approved the introduction of a new policy aimed at reducing the incidence of false calls, the details of which will be finalised following discussions with the security industry and other interested parties.
